A Conversation with Kristin Hannah
Random House Reader’s Circle: This is somewhat of a departure from your other novels, in that this novel is about a marriage in crisis, and not about the relationships between mothers and daughters or between sisters. What inspired you to tackle this subject?
Kristin Hannah: Actually, I don’t feel that this novel is such a departure. For most of my career I have written about ordinary women during extraordinary times in their lives. As a long-time married woman myself, I certainly understand the challenges and joys of keeping love alive during difficult times. We all change over the course of our lives and are faced with the ramifications of those changes. I really see Distant Shores as a novel about a woman who has lost a piece of herself; she needs to take the time and have the courage to go in search of who she wants to be in the middle of her life.
RHRC: You’ve written nineteen books to date. How do you find fresh, new ideas for your books?
KH: Finding ideas is the most difficult part of writing for me. Because it takes me more than a year to write a novel, I have to find an idea—and characters—that really fire my imagination. I have to want to live a story, day in and day out, for a long time. So ideas are tough but the passion I have for writing never dims. Once I begin a project, I fall in love with it.
RHRC: This story is very much about hidden passions. What, aside from writing, is your passion?
KH: I wouldn’t say that I have too many hidden passions. I’m a pretty upfront gal. My family and friends are definitely the most important things in my life.
RHRC: Did you always know that Jack and Birdie would reconcile and remain married at the end?
KH: I did. I always saw this as very much a love story. One with a rocky road, perhaps, but there are few things I find more romantic than love that makes it through the hard times.
RHRC: Are you a big football or sports fan?
KH: Hmmm … I would have to say that I’m not a huge sports fan. Of course, I loved football in high school and college, but I’m not a big follower of professional sports—unless you count the Olympics, which I adore.
RHRC: The ocean inspires Elizabeth to face her fears, to open up to life, and to begin to find herself again. Does the ocean speak to you in the same way?
KH: Absolutely. I spend half of every year living in Hawaii. There I wake up every morning and go to bed every night listening to the surf. It is one of the most peaceful places in the world for me. Also, I think it helps to sit by the ocean and be reminded that we are small parts of the planet. It helps to put things in perspective.
RHRC: If Birdie’s life remained the same—if her father didn’t die, if Jack didn’t get a job in New York—would she have ever found the courage to change her life?
KH: That’s a great question. I saw Birdie as the kind of woman who needed a real push to change her life, so perhaps not. But that wouldn’t have been a good thing.
RHRC: What made you decide to write from both Elizabeth’s and Jack’s points of view? Did you feel empathy for one more than the other?
KH: Initially I planned this novel to be written from only Elizabeth’s point of view. I saw it as a woman’s journey novel, but as the writing unfurled, I began to understand that Jack had a story to tell as well. Their lives were inextricably intertwined and their marriage was the core of that story. In the end, I wanted the reader to understand Jack’s fears and insecurities and challenges as well as Birdie’s.
RHRC: Anita seemed like such a sweet, thoughtful stepmother. Why did you decide to have Elizabeth be so distant with her?
KH: I wanted to explore the idea that sometimes we make judgments about people early on and never take the time to revisit those opinions. Especially as children, we can be wrong. Birdie didn’t give Anita a chance because she was hurt and angry. It wasn’t until she was older, and had more life experience, that she was able to see the truth of Anita’s character. I always love the idea that we can fall in love with people after years of knowing them.
RHRC: A small but important part of this novel concerns Birdie’s relationship with her best friend, Meghann Dontess, who clearly doesn’t believe in marriage. Why did you give Birdie a best friend who would challenge her so much?
KH: Female friendship is an extremely important part of my own life. We all know that once you have a best friend, you’re always going to hear the hard truth from her—even when you don’t want to. Birdie needed that. Additionally, it was important to me to show that Birdie had a support system. When I was writing Meghann’s book, Between Sisters, it was really fun to check back in on Birdie, and to show Meghann that sometimes love can surprise you when you least expect it.
RHRC: What are you working on now?